Licania sp. 1

Barros, Natália, Menezes, Luis Fernando Tavares de, Sothers, Cynthia & Peixoto, Ariane Luna, 2025, Flora of Espírito Santo: Chrysobalanaceae, Rodriguesia (e 00872024) 76, pp. 1-39 : 34

7.12. Licania sp. 1 . Fig. 11

Tree, up to 25 m tall, DBH 45–60 cm, stem up to 18 m tall, cylindric, rough to scaly bark; young branches pubescent, becoming glabrous with age, lenticellate. Leaves elliptic to obovate, 3–4.5 × 1.3– 1.8 cm, membranous to chartaceous, discolorous, base cuneate, apex acute to acuminate, acumen up to 2 mm, glabrous adaxially, tomentulose abaxially, stomatal crypts absent, midrib plane adaxially, prominent abaxially, pubescent abaxially, primary veins 6–7 pairs, margin plane; petiole 2–3 mm long, pubescent, terete, eglandular; stipules 2, 2–3 mm, linear, pubescent, chartaceous, caducous. Inflorescence terminal to axillary, racemose panicle or panicle of cymes, pubescent; bracts 1, triangular, ca. 1 mm long; bracteoles 3, triangular, 0.5–1 mm long, persistent. Flowers green, ca. 3 mm long, pedicellate, pedicel ca. 1 mm, puberulous; receptacle campanulate, ca. 1.5–2 mm long, pubescent on the inside; sepals triangular, ca. 1 mm long, puberulous on both sides; stamens 3, inserted in a semi-circle, free, filaments ca. 0.1 mm long, glabrous; ovary ca. 1 mm, sericeous; style ca. 2 mm long, sparsely sericeous. Drupe ellipsoid, sessile, ca. 1.7–1.8 × 1.4–1.6 cm, epicarp smooth, pubescent.

Selected material examined: Santa Teresa , Estação Biológica de Santa Lúcia, 7.III.1995, fl., L.D. Thomaz 1635 ( HUEFS, MBML, VIES); 1.VIII.1995, fr., L. D. Thomaz 1639 ( HUEFS, MBML, VIES) .

Initially identified as Licania leptostachya Benth. , the specimens L.D. Thomaz 1635, 1639 and H.Q. Boudet Fernandes 2603 do not correspond to this species. Licania leptostachya occurs in some North (Amapá, Pará, Rondônia and Roraima) and Northeast (Bahia and Maranhão) states but not in EspÍrito Santo ( Sothers & Prance 2023f). Licania sp.1 occurs in Ombrophilous forest, in Santa Teresa municipality, inside a protected area, the Estação Biológica de Santa Lúcia. Collected with flowers in May and fruits from August to October.

There are similarities with L. leptostachya , such as the membranous elliptic leaves, with acuminate apex and cuneate base. However, the inflorescence of L. leptostachya is elongate with flowers in glomerules, with 6–7 stamens inserted in a complete circle vs. short racemose panicle, flowers with 3 stamens inserted in a semi-circle in Licania sp.1 . More collections in this locality can better clarify the identification of these species.